Christy Virginia McDonald and John Ashcroft Spear

JOHN ASHCROFT SPEAR was born June 5, 1901 in Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts,^{56, 6872} and died August 7, 1974 in Hartford, Connecticut.^{56, 42}

He married CHRISTY VIRGINIA MCDONALD on June 16, 1926 in Little Church Around the Corner, Manhattan, New York, New York,^{3819, 5558} daughter of HANNAH CHRISTY BELL and MALCOLM SCOTT MCDONALD. She was born September 1, 1903 in Richmond, Virginia,^{56, 5563} and died May 29, 1982 in West Hartford, Connecticut.^{56, 42}

• Descendant Reports
  • William Scott Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • Edward Erwin Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • Jacob Clements Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • Francis Stuart Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • James Crawford Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • William Campbell Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)
  • Timothy Hall Descendant Report (Ancestor of Christy V. McDonald)

Children of CHRISTY VIRGINIA MCDONALD and JOHN ASHCROFT SPEAR:

1. SHEILA SPEAR, b. June 1, 1927;^{3819, 456} m. SPURGEON MILTON KEENY on May 3, 1952 in First Church of Christ, Congregational, Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut²⁰⁴²; d. September 10, 2011, Washington, District of Columbia.³⁸²³
2. Son

Evening Item, September 6, 1903⁵⁰⁹⁹

Mr. and Mrs. Scott McDonald of Richmond, Va., are the proud parents of a baby girl. Mrs. McDonald was formerly Miss Christie Bell, of this city.

Richmond Item, June 17, 1926⁵⁵⁵⁸

Spear-McDonald Wedding Wednesday

Miss Christy Virginia McDonald, daughter of Mrs. Malcolm Scott McDonald of Huntington, W. Va., and granddaughter of Mrs. W. E. Bell of South Nineteenth street, and John Ashcroft Spear, of Essex Falls, N. J., son of Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Spear of Amherst, Mass., were united in marriage Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock at the Little Church Around the Corner. Miss Betty Ann Mcdonald, sister of the bride was maid of honor. The bride was gowned in white g[e]orgette. The maid of honor and bride's maids dresses were of pale pink and orchid.

Mrs. Spear is well known here having visited her grandmother a number of times. She is a graduate of Mt. Holyoke college, South Hadley, Mass. Mr. Spear is a graduate of Andover and Amherst colleges and is now instructor of English, and coach of athletics at the Kingsley school for Boys Essex Falls. He is a member of the Psi Epsilon fraternity.

New York Times, August 13, 1974²⁰⁴⁰

JOHN A. SPEAR

John Ashcroft Spear, a retired English teacher at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Conn., died last Wednesday in Hartford Hospital. He was 73 years old.

Mr. Spear received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Amherst College. he taught English in the East Orange, N. J., public schools for 17 years before joining the faculty at Miss Porter's in 1946. He taught there until his retirement in 1967.

Survivors include his widow, the former Virginia McDonald; a son, John Jr.; a daughter, Sheila Keeny, and five grandchildren.

Hartford Courant, May 30, 1982⁵⁵⁶³

SPEAR. In West Hartford, Mrs. Virginia (McDonald) Spear, 78, of 130 Main St., Farmington, widow of John A. Spear, former teacher at Miss Porter's School in Farmington for over 40 years, died Saturday (May 29) at a local convalescent home. Born in Richmond, Va., she had lived in Farmington since 1947. She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Spurgeon (Sheila) M. Keeny Jr. of Washington, D.C.; a son, John A. Spear Jr. of Rochester, N.Y.; a brother, Malcolm B. McDonald of Coral Gables, Fla.; a sister, Mrs. A. J. Corsi of Richmond, Ind., and five grandchildren. Memorial funeral services will be Wednesday (June 2, 1982) at 4 p.m., at St. James Episcopal Parish, 3 Mountain Road, Farmington. Memorial donations may be made to the Farmington Valley Nurses Association Hospice Program, Montieth Drive, Farmington. Hangen-Ahern Funeral Home, 111 Main St., Route 4, Unionville, has charge of arrangements.